Cary names new police chief

With Cary’s chief of police retiring, the village has announced that Marengo’s top law enforcement official will take over the role.

The Cary Village Board has approved the appointment of Nathan Hayes as the new police chief.

Patrick Finlon’s last day as Cary’s police chief was Jan. 16. He served as the department’s leader for 12 years.

Hayes has been Marengo’s police chief since 2021. Before that, he served multiple roles at the Arlington Heights Police Department for over 23 years, according to a Cary news release.

Hayes also previously served as the director of the Regional Homicide Task Force that supports 21 jurisdictions in the surrounding area. Today, he is the director of the McHenry County Major Investigation Assistance Team.

According to his three-year employment agreement, Hayes will start with an annual salary of $165,000. The agreement allots 160 hours of vacation time, 12 sick days and 24 hours of personal leave each year.

Cary Mayor Mark Kownick said what is most important to Cary police officers is continuing to build off the culture Finlon helped cultivate.

The village underwent a “very intense” recruitment process, Kownick said. The village received over 43 applications from 11 states and eventually narrowed the pool to two candidates who were brought forward to the board, according to the release.

“I am excited that Nathan Hayes will join our leadership team as the next Chief of Police,” Kownick said in the release. “Nathan brings over 28 years of law enforcement experience and will be able to continue building upon the strong foundation established by Chief Finlon.”

Hayes has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Columbia College of Missouri. He also graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command in 2013 and the FBI National Academy in 2017, according to the release.